REDSKINS CAN GO, BUT BRAVES AND INDIANS NO

 

ATLANTA, Georgia--There's controversy again over using Native American references for team names. Most of it is coming from Washington, where the Redskins are under attack. Recently the Oneida Indian Nation held a seminar in D.C. in protest of the Redskins name. Others have questioned its appropriateness, including President Obama, who said if he owned the team he would consider changing the name.

I was with Turner Broadcasting when Stan Kasten and John Schuerholz successfully defended the Braves name after the American Indian Movement (AIM) staged protests during the 1995 World Series between the Braves and, yes, the Cleveland Indians. Obviously this was an opportune time for public displays. As it turned out, the protests were orchestrated by an infinitesimally small group from AIM, who readily disappeared when the World Series was over and the spotlight was off.

How anyone can consider the Braves name
an insult is beyond me. The Braves name implies courage, or, as the dictionary says “courageous endurance,” certainly admirable traits. Many believe the Indians were named in honor of a Native American, Louis Sockalexis, who played for the team from 1897-99. Whether or not that is true, the name Indians certainly has no negative connotation.

The name Redskins may be another story. Again, referring to Oxford dictionaries, the name never referred to the color of the skin, but to the “use of vermillion face paint and body paint.” It also said that over time the name lost its “neutral, accurate descriptive sense and became a term of disparagement.”

If those protesting the Redskins name understood its history, perhaps there wouldn’t be such a backlash. However, in this case there may be more than just a misunderstanding. Since the modern context has altered the meaning, there could be hurt to some Native Americans who hear that name regularly. If that is truly the case—and if it not just for “politically correct” purposes— then Dan Snyder should consider backing down and renaming the team.

On the other hand, said Martin Carney of the Native American Center at the time of the 1996 kerfuffle, “If all of these changed their names tomorrow, would it help our community? I don’t think so.”